Sony
A1 2021
Best for Professional sport, wildlife, portrait & hybrid shooting
£4199
new today at Wex Photo Video
Decision tools · Compare
A1 vs A7 IV
Quick take: The A1 has the highest resolution at 50MP; the A7 IV is the most affordable.
16 specs side by side·15 genres scored·UK prices from Wex Photo Video and Clifton Cameras
How to read this page. Highlighted cells win that row on the spec alone. Genre scores are the engine's base scores (enthusiast, photo and video); Camera Match re-weights them for your level and priorities. Price buttons are affiliate links; the price you pay is the same.
Price buttons are affiliate links — GearFrame may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never affects a score. Learn more
Verdictwhich should you buy?
A1 — Professional Sport, Wildlife, Portrait & Hybrid Shooting: 50MP, 30fps, 8K — the Sony A1 is the most complete professional camera ever made.
A7 IV — Portrait & Wedding Photography: The full-frame portrait benchmark — 33MP, AI Eye AF, and exceptional skin-tone rendering in a pro-grade hybrid body.
Who should buy what
A1 (2021)
is the right camera for you if…
- Professional photographers who need resolution and speed without compromise
- Sports and wildlife photographers demanding the absolute fastest Sony
- Studio and fashion photographers who also shoot sport or events
- A9 III or A7R V owners who want a single body that does everything
A7 IV (2021)
is the right camera for you if…
- Working photographers who want a reliable full-frame all-rounder
- Portrait, wedding, and event photographers needing 33MP and fast AF
- A7 III owners ready for a major upgrade in resolution, AF, and video
- Hybrid shooters who want 4K/60p and 33MP stills in one dependable body
Full specificationsthe better value in each row is highlighted
| Specification | A1Sony · 2021 | A7 IVSony · 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £4,199 | £1,799Best |
| Sensor | 50.1MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS | 33MP Full-frame BSI Exmor R CMOS |
| Resolution | 50.1MPBest | 33.0MP |
| Video | 8K/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p | 4K/60p oversampled, 10-bit internal, S-Log3, S-Cinetone |
| Autofocus | Real-time Tracking, AI subject recognition — 759 phase-detect points | 759-point phase-detect, AI subject recognition |
| Stabilisation | IBIS — up to 5.5 stops | 5-axis IBIS, 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 30fps electronic with full AF/AEBest | 10fps mechanical, 30fps electronic |
| Battery Life | ~430 shots (CIPA) | ~580 shots (CIPA)Best |
| Weight | 737g (with battery and card) | 659g (body only)Best |
| Dimensions | 128.9 × 96.9 × 80.8mm | 131.3 × 96.4 × 79.8mm |
| Weather Sealed | Yes | Yes |
| Viewfinder | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification, 240fps | EVF, 3.69M dots, 0.78× magnification |
| Screen | 3.0" fully tilting touchscreen | 3.0" vari-angle touchscreen |
| Mount | Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount) | Sony FE (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II | Slot 1 CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II, slot 2 SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI | USB-C (3.2 Gen 2), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi |
Wins the row — price, resolution, burst, battery, weight and sealing are compared; text specs aren't ranked.
How they score by genreengine base scores out of 10
Genre
A1
A7 IV
Portrait
8.2/10
8.2/10
Street
6.1/10
6.5/10
Travel
6.0/10
6.5/10
Wedding & Events
7.9/10
7.9/10
Filmmaking
7.8/10
7.2/10
Documentary
7.6/10
7.4/10
Sports & Action
8.8/10
7.5/10
Landscape
7.6/10
6.7/10
Wildlife
8.7/10
7.8/10
Casual
4.8/10
5.3/10
Food
7.4/10
7.6/10
Macro
7.3/10
7.3/10
Architecture
7.9/10
6.8/10
Astrophotography
6.8/10
7.3/10
Vlogging & Video
—
6.2/10
Scores come from the same engine as Camera Match: verified specifications weighted by what each genre needs, with documented adjustments. The product page and this table show the enthusiast base score. See how scores are calculated →
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